A slow-burn of a gem, this film for Shiseido resonates with something quite subversive as well as being a tour de force of craft. There are hidden depths, possibly beyond those intended. However, the “intentionalist fallacy” was dealt with and discarded as false thinking decades ago. Now the meaning of this film can be a shapeshifter, as it floats around representation issues, discreet as to its own values. It is what it is, while we change.
Agency: Shiseido, in-house, Tokyo
Creative Direction: Masato Kosukegawa
Production Company: Watts of Tokyo
Director: Show Yanagisawa
"I love ads with a masterful twist and Shiseido’s film was the ultimate trickster. This ad didn’t just redefine beauty standards for a young audience – it fooled everyone, including every juror on the panel I was part of. The film opens in a classroom where high school girls are frozen in adorable, kawaii-style poses. But then the twist hits: as makeup is removed in reverse, we realize these “girls” are actually boys. The craftsmanship is astonishing – a true masterclass in detail. Once that rug is pulled, you’re compelled to watch it again, just to see how they pulled it off."
- Graham Fink, multimedia artist, most recently former Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy China
"A good old fashioned product demo at heart, this Japanese cosmetics company fooled audiences with their gender- switching youth ad. A sublime example of misdirection executed in a seamless single camera move. In my opinion, one of the most underrated pieces of work in the past 40 years. Exceptional craft, Japanese aesthetic genius."
- Ajab Samrai, Chief Creative Officer, Samrai Arts
